Sorry - the East Phillips Park and LaVerne Turner football saga about the
football team and its problems with the Park Board have gone back at least
3 years that I know of. I have been in quite a few meetings and phone
conversations trying to unravel this particular mess and find problems from
many different angles.
But I assure you it has nothing to do with LaVerne Turner serving as Dave
Shegstad's campaign manager.
Annie Young
citywide Park Commissioner
who happens to live two blocks from East Phillips Park
and am very familiar with most of the issues in my neighborhood -
especially about the parks and the lack of attention paid to them - even
with a strong advocate fighting for them.
At 08:27 PM 8/19/05 -0500, you wrote:
You aren't kidding here. While the Park Board is planning to give away land
for rich kids to play football - for free - they are trying to soak poor
kids in the Phillips neighborhood.
Laverne Turner, who is the campaign manager for Dave Shegstad has been
getting a very hard time from the Park Board. He runs a non-profit athletic
program (formerly in cooperation with the park system) for low-income
inner-city kids in the Phillips neighborhood to play football. Local
businesses mostly fund the operation through donations. Other parties and
individuals have donated equipment (though much of it is outdated - this
football team reminds me of the Mighty Ducks, or Bad News Bears).
Previously, the cost to the team to reserve field time was $250. This year,
the park board wants to charge these poor kids $1,800 Money the non-profit
doesn't currently have. Laverne's operation has been caused further
difficulties by the Park Board as well (it's an odd coincidence that
Laverne's troubles with the Park Board began right after he volunteered for
Shegstad, as an observation).
The Park Board is Giving free land for rich kids to play football on, but
socking it to the poor kids who want to play football on fields that are
already supported by our tax dollars for the very purpose of letting kids
play sports on!
Since I've been working with Laverne, I've learned how much he cares about
the kids he works with. A few days ago, he called, because he was running
late to a meeting. He told me he had to stop by a park to disappoint some
kids. He had to tell them they still couldn't play this week. This sad saga
has gotten me so upset in the midst of all the debate about DeLaSalle taking
our park land. The injustice is staggering. I suppose the Park Board has to
find a way to make the payments on their new palace, huh? Do it on the backs
of the poor, and small businesses, just like the rest of our government
does.
This post is my own, personal opinion, and shouldn't be construed to
represent the Dave Shegstad for City Council Campaign.
Dan McGrath
Longfellow
http://www.shegstad.us
Paulett moved the three tables to the side of Minnehaha Parkway. Which has
had a couple of tables
on it since I moved into the neighborhood in the sixties. They were gone
last Sunday...The Park and
Recreation guys came and told MeloGlaze that strip of land was park property
and if she wanted
to use it they would need @$1,800.00!!
I measured that strip of land today...7 feet by 20 feet was used by the
tables. The park system has never
mowed or taken care of that piece of property. DeLaSalle stands to gain how
much land for a buck?
The Rowing Club..? I understand the law is the law but stupid is stupid..and
I believe we have seen
too much of it lately.
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